Copy that Floppy Cafe 💾 📅Thursday 9 October, 2-5pm Come have your floppy disk data transferred to a modern format at Cambridge University Library! For more info and to book: https://loom.ly/FRjMsM8

1824: Had a visit from my friend Henderson of Milton who brought Don Juan in his Pocket. I was very ill & nursing my head in my hand but he reviv'd me & advised me to read Don Juan. We talked about books & flowers & butterflys till noon & then he descanted on Don Juan which he admird very much I...

Visiting the Wren Library for Open Cambridge this Saturday? Trainee Librarian Evie is here to show you how to get there from Great gate!☺️ The walk takes around 7 minutes.

Not in Cambridge? No problem! One of our newest exhibitions has been just been digitised. Featuring icons such as Lise Meitner, Mary Somerville and Émilie du Châtelet, "𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘴" can be found at this link: www.trin.cam.ac.uk/library/in-h...

For today’s #MarginaliaMonday, we’re heading back to 1686 with Isaac Newton’s own copy of 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪æ 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢. Filled with his handwritten notes, we can get a small glimpse into his mind.🧠

What better use for the back of a letter than to test out some new colours? These bright swatches were found in the correspondence of antiquary and botanist Dawson Turner (1775–1858). A little bit of colour living in a world of paper and ink.🎨

Philosophy bids you all good night Trinity College Cambridge, O.3.7; Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae, with commentary; last quarter of the 10th cent; Canterbury, St Augustine's Abbey; f.1r @trincolllibcam.bsky.social

Anyone else have that bank holiday Friday feeling? Time to kick back, relax and... play the flute?🎵 (Trinity College MS B.11.22)

Explore some of Cambridge’s iconic landmarks this September with Open Cambridge from ‪@cambridgefestival.bsky.social‬ 🎟️ Some events are hugely popular, so don't miss out – book your spot now: bit.ly/479qMiT #Cambridge #Tour #Explore #CambridgeUniversity

It started as a routine book move. Before we know it, it’s a modern art installation (or perhaps a minor safety concern). It's hard to say. #FoundArt

For this edition of #MarginaliaMonday, here’s a poor puppy stuck in a pot! Spotted in the margins of a 15th century manuscript, he’s clearly been caught in the middle of some questionable decision-making. (Trinity College MS B.1.46)

Happy birthday to Alfred Tennyson, born #OTD in 1809! Best known for his poetry, Tennyson was also a keen doodler. The Trinity alum drew this face in his notebook while drafting 𝘐𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘮. (Trinity College MS, O.15.13)

Here's Trinity College Cambridge, within which @trincolllibcam.bsky.social can be found

Lise Meitner (1878-1968) was an Austrian physicist whose pioneering work led to the discovery of nuclear fission. Find out all about her story in our latest blog post! trinitycollegelibrarycambridge.wordpress.com/2025/08/01/s...

Good morning, friends. I've got a rather busy day, so I'm afraid I must be quick with the eel post. But don't worry, friends...I won't leave you eel-less. Please enjoy this wonderful interlinear eel and heron. Perhaps they're having a conversation about the evils of lightning. 🗃️🧪

A bad day at the printing press, London 1660. lib-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Record/fbfb3...

Another day, another ancient artefact...

Our new exhibition, '𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦!' investigates socialist anti-fascism and the anti-war movement from 1914-1939. Explore the history of the international socialist movement, from letters by Spanish Civil War martyr John Cornford to a first edition 𝘋𝘢𝘴 𝘒𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 signed by Marx!

Happy #marginaliamonday! This medieval man has been chasing away a moth for over 700 years... Clearly some things never change!🦋 (Trinity College MS B.11.22)

Did you know that Florence Nightingale had a soft spot for the Brontë sisters' poems? In this letter to Richard Monckton Milnes, she asks to borrow his copy of 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘳, 𝘌𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭. Anne’s poem “The Captive Dove” especially moved her. (Houghton 18/136)

On this #BastilleDay, we get a glimpse into revolutionary history with the signature of one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre. He signed this passport in May 1794, just two months before his own execution. Trinity College: Cullum P 176

☀️It's a sunny (and hot!) day in Cambridge today, as we look forward to welcoming thousands of prospective students for the University Open Days. 🥛If you are visiting Trinity, make sure you pop by the Wren, and don't forget to stay hydrated!

W is for Wren Library and their window view #WrenLibrary @trincolllibcam.bsky.social

These beautiful pressed seaweeds are the work of 19th-century botanist Amelia Griffiths. Sent to Dawson Turner, writer of 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘪, around 1808, this volume is currently on display as part of our exhibition 𝘐𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦’𝘴 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘴.

We had an unexpected visitor at the library yesterday!🐦 Some of our librarians turned into temporary bird rescuers when this little fellow got stuck in the roof. With some teamwork, Otto (as we named him) was rescued, had a little rest, then flew off into the gardens once again.

Congratulations to all our students graduating today! Everyone at the Library wishes you the very best for the future. 🍾🥂 Academic dress has a long history in Cambridge, and these students from 1862 are rocking the same look students wear today! (Trinity College, X.26.31)

This brilliant chess problem was composed by Vladimir Nabokov for publication in The Trinity Review (Lent Term, 1969). Recently catalogued, the handwritten manuscript offers a glimpse into Nabokov’s enduring passion for the game. Using his key below, can you find the mate in two? (Add. MS a/772)

From tomorrow, the Wren Library welcomes a brand-new exhibition: 'In Her Element: Stories of Science's Female Trailblazers'.⚗️Highlights include Mary Somerville's letters, Hertha Ayrton's papers, and Lise Meitner's drafts. As always, we are open to visitors from 12-2pm!

How do you train a dragon? Just give them a stern talking-to... just like this man spotted in a 12th-century manuscript. (Trinity College, Cambridge, R.14.9) #HowToTrainYourDragon

Celebrating #PrideMonth2025 in the Library with a selection of our favourite LGBTQ+ films and books! 🏳️‍🌈

Scottish physicist and mathematician, James Clerk Maxwell was born #otd in 1831. He is known for his work on electromagnetism, but his interests ranged from colour vision to Saturn’s rings. He entered Trinity as a student in 1850, later becoming a Fellow and the first Cavendish Professor.

Appreciation post for this little guy in our manuscript of Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica. He's been holding up this annotation in the margin for more than 500 years!! 💪 Not all heroes wear capes... some wear tunics. (Trinity College MS R.7.3)

👹 Possessed by demons? What a nuisance. But don't worry this herbal remedy will sort you out! The video features a 14th century German Herbarium (MS O.2.48) from @TrinCollCam, Cambridge, on display at our #CuriousCures exhibition. 🎟️FREE tickets here: loom.ly/kVqsPRY

Happy #WoodcutWednesday! This is a hand-coloured woodcut illustration from one of Trinity's incunables (books printed before 1501). This 1483 edition of The Play of Chess by Jacobus de Cessolis was translated by William Caxton, and it is currently part of the Library's Fun and Games display.

Looking for something to do this Bank Holiday Monday? The Wren Library is open as usual between 12 and 2pm! Come by and say hello. Or maybe you'd rather stay at home with your pets... (Trinity College MS R.13.8)

Bringing this little guy back for #WorldBeeDay 🐝

Happy #MarginaliaMonday. Here's a proud peacock from a 15th-century Book of Hours to brighten up your day! See the full manuscript here: mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/B...

Fancy some escapism this Exam Term? We have a new science fiction display to suit all your reading and watching needs! 🎬 Find these and other DVDs in the Library's Catalogue Room. Books are searchable here: lib-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk And you can browse DVDs here: lib-filmcollection.trin.cam.ac.uk

Have you found our #WinsBoard yet? Come to the catalogue room and leave your win of the day! We have loved reading everyone’s contributions so far. 🤩

There is no Higher Buttery Book, sadly, but there is an Upper Buttery Book! This recorded the spending of members of the Upper Commons (high table folk) at the buttery, the place where college members could buy bread and beer. The Lower Buttery Book is the same, but for the Lower Commons.

Blink and you'll miss it! Something slightly different for #MarginaliaMonday today: Trinity's Archivist discovered this tiny face drawn inside the Lower Buttery Book, one of the college's 17th-century account books!

There are a great many rare treasures and ancient artefacts to be found in the Library...

A gift of white and red roses from the border decoration of an Ordinal and Martyrology on this St George's Day A 15thC handbook for church services for the Mass and the Divine Office & listing of saints & martyrs with short readings CCCC MS 093, ff. 21r, 132r parker.stanford.edu/parker/catal...

What better way to celebrate #EarthDay than with a hand-coloured incunable? 🌎 This is Ptolemy's 'Cosmographia', from 1482, which features 32 early examples of printed maps! Shelfmark: Grylls 2.195 lib-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Record/90ed3...

Recently, we welcomed a group of stained glass enthusiasts to the Wren, who were treated to a rare peek at the full-scale cartoon of the painted south window. The window was designed by Giovanni Battista Cipriani and was completed in 1775, 80 years after the Library’s initial opening. 🪟🎨

☠️| Did you know that books can be dangerous? We discovered a poisonous book today! During the 19th century, heavy metals such as arsenic and lead were sometimes added to book bindings to create the vivid green colours like in this copy of Moore's Irish Melodies (ECC E346). #PoisonBooks #booksky

Inspired by the Wren Library's International Women's Day pop-up exhibition, our new blog post tells the story of Virginia Woolf and her various connections to Trinity College. Read it here: trinitycollegelibrarycambridge.wordpress.com/2025/04/03/v...

💇 It seems that hair is more popular in library collections than you might think! Our hairy highlight is this lock of hair from German author Goethe! Read our blog post to discover more about this fascinating item, and how it became part of our collections: blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/taylorian/20...

History can be a very hairy place! Here are a couple of our hairy highlights: 1) a lock of hair from Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) 2) an intriguing criss-cross design made from the hair of classical scholar, Richard Porson (1759-1808)

Some bright #MarginaliaMonday images to celebrate Spring! 🌼 These illuminations come from MS R.16.25, a 16th-century Patent of Nobility: mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/R...